From Decorative Painting to Fine Art: Kelly L. Walker's Creative Journey
It's a pleasure to have you on 'The Truth in This Art' podcast, helmed by your host, Rob Lee. Be ready for an insightful conversation with Kelly Walker, a prolific American artist hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, who finds inspiration in the beauty, chaos, and reality of the city she calls home. With an impressive artistic journey, she transformed a rundown auto shop into a live/work space, celebrated by Baltimore Magazine as a work of art itself, featuring an extensive art collection by local artists. Kelly's abstract paintings showcase her mastery of techniques, textures, and patterns, drawing from her background in decorative painting. Her unique pieces use a wide range of atypical materials, intricately layered to evoke landscapes, graffiti, and color fields. With her art displayed in prestigious venues across Baltimore and beyond, including the Delaware Museum of Art, Kelly L. Walker's captivating and vibrant creations continue to mesmerize art enthusiasts.
About Artstar Custom Paintworks
Paint is a wonderfully versatile medium, translating endless ranges of color, texture, or patterned ideas into functional, long-lasting designs.
Artstar Custom Paintworks is a Baltimore-based decorative painting and faux finishing company founded by Kelly Walker in 2002. Artstar specializes in hand-applied, atmospheric finishes that capture and enhance the charm of any environment with sophisticated drama. We are dedicated to individualized service and the highest quality craftsmanship to make your improvement project a powerful and diverse work of art.
We actively develop new custom finishes for the design and architectural trades and are well respected for our professional contracting services and collaboration in the design process. Services range from murals and traditional faux finishes to custom-painted finishes and fine Italian Plasters.
Within this recording:
- Delve into Kelly L. Walker's inspiring artistic journey, shaped by her move to Baltimore, where she discovered her true passion for art and design.
- Kelly proudly describes herself as a "maker" and constantly embarks on exciting explorations of various mediums, fostering growth and innovation in her work.
- She shares valuable insights about the importance of dedicating time to her studio practice and finding creative ways to overcome time and energy constraints.
- Discover how her decorative painting business, Artstar, has provided her with opportunities to work with diverse materials and textures, beautifully incorporated into her personal art practice.
- Kelly's perspective on creativity is bound to captivate you, as she advocates for thinking bigger, embracing new endeavors, and celebrating the absence of boredom as a catalyst for originality and growth.
Get ready to be inspired as Kelly shares her journey of discovering her passion for art and how Baltimore played a significant role in her artistic development. She talks about her process as a creator and the importance of making time for her studio practice. Kelly also discusses her work as a faux finisher and the intersection between her decorative painting business and her personal art practice. She emphasizes the importance of using what you have and starting where you are in order to foster creativity.
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This program is supported (in part) by a grant from the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation.
If you have a story about art, culture, or community, share it with us at rob@thetruthinthisart.com for a chance to be featured on 'The Truth In This Art' podcast.
Follow The Truth In This Art on Twitter, Threads, IG, and Facebook @truthinthisart
Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard.
Episode illustration by Alley Kid Art.
About "The Truth In This Art"
If you have a story about art, culture, or community, share it with us at rob@thetruthinthisart.com for a chance to be featured on 'The Truth In This Art' podcast.
Follow The Truth In This Art on Twitter, Threads, IG, and Facebook @truthinthisart
Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard.
Episode illustration by Alley Kid Art.
About "The Truth In This Art"
"The Truth In This Art," hosted by Rob Lee, is a podcast that explores the essence of creativity and its community impact, amplifying artists' voices and their profound stories.
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Creators and Guests
Host
Rob Lee
The Truth In This Art is an interview series featuring artists, entrepreneurs and tastemakers in & around Baltimore.
Guest
Kelly L. Walker
A prolific American artist hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, who finds inspiration in the beauty, chaos, and reality of the city she calls home.